Numerous forms of knife holders are known in the art, including magnetic holders and slotted holders. The magnetic type of knife holder generally employs a bar magnet so as to retain a plurality of knife blades in a vertical plane, with the blades positioned in an upwardly-extending orientation. Generally, a support is provided beneath the handle portion of the knives so as to prevent the knives from sliding downwardly off the magnetic bar. Of course, the blades must be made of a magnetic material in order for such knife holder to retain the blades in position.
Various forms of slotted knife holders are also known in the art wherein a plurality of slots, formed in a suitable support, are each adapted to removably receive and retain a knife blade. The slots are customarily formed within a support body so as to receive the knife blades in a generally upwardly-extending position, with a butt end of each handle resting upon a support; or alternately, to receive the knife blades downwardly therein at an inclined angle, such that a forward face of the handle abuts the support body adjacent the slots.
One of the disadvantages encountered with the known knife holders, resides in the fact that the slots for receiving the knife blades are in a fixed orientation with respect to a support base. Thus, for a given knife holder, the slots would either be positioned in a vertical position or an angular position for receiving the knife blades. Since the ordinary housewife is usually pressed for counter space, a vertical orientation of the slots is generally preferred, since such orientation of a support body requires a minimum utilization of counter space. However, in view of the limited vertical distance which exists in many kitches between the counter top and the overlying kitchen cupboards, there may be insufficient room to conveniently remove and replace knives within vertically oriented slots of a knife holder positioned on a counter top beneath a kitchen cupboard. In the alternative, when the slots formed in a knife holder are provided with an angular inclined orientation, the knife holder generally requires more counter top area than would be required of a knife holder having vertically oriented slots. Thus, the housewife is confronted with the dilemma of having to choose between convenience of use, and the utilization of counter top space, when selecting a knife holder for her cutlery.
The present invention overcomes the problems encountered with known knife holders by providing a slotted suppport block which may be operatively positioned with the knife slots in a vertical position or, alternatively, in an inclined angular position. Thus, depending upon the space available and the desired convenience, a housewife may position the cutlery block of the present invention with the knife blade-receiving slots in either a vertical or inclined orientation, by means of a sliding wedge support forming a portion of the support block.